Ecuador Travel Guide
3/12/2008 at 2:05 PM
Tags: Jaunted Field Trips, Jaunted in Ecuador, Ecuador Travel, Adventure Travel (all tags)
Two of the Lost Girls are sharing their trips with us this week. Amanda just returned from Ecuador while Holly ventured to Antarctica.
One of Quito's greatest selling points? Within less than a day's travel from the city, you can reach the Amazon rainforest, the Andes mountains, the Pacific beaches, active volcanoes and of course, the country's namesake attraction: the equator.
My BF Jeff and I decided to skip out on the big painted stripe at Mitad del Mundo. (It's disappointing, we'd heard, since GPS now indicates that the actual equator is hundreds of feet away from the touristy hooplah.) Instead, we hopped a bus to a town called Mindo.
We'd attended an informal barbecue the day after our arrival and everyone--our hosts Andrew and Lau, their ex-pat friends, backpacker buddies and dozens of local Ecuadorian attendees--had recommended it as one of the best short trips from the city. If you can't make it all the way to the Amazon basin, Mindo will give you all the rainforest you can handle.
MORE...
by The Lost Girl
3/11/2008 at 12:45 PM
Tags: Jaunted Field Trips, Jaunted in Ecuador, Ecuador Travel, Bars (all tags)
Long-haul travel is tough enough on your body without subjecting it a rock-hard, critter-infested guesthouse mattress. At least, not on your first night in town.
To ensure that my boyfriend Jeff and I would rest and repair in record time, we went the 300-thread count, mint-on-the-pillow route by booking at a weekend's stay at the Marriott Quito. While the room cost us less than $150 online, I later learned that spontaneous types can wander into the hotel and ask for a discounted rate on weekends. (We're talking up to 50 percent off during low season.)
We also liked that the place was a two-minute walk from The Mariscal, a touristy district the locals affectionately refer to as "Gringolandia."
MORE...
by The Lost Girl
3/10/2008 at 2:00 PM
Tags: Jaunted Field Trips, Jaunted in Ecuador, Ecuador Travel, HOWTO (all tags)
When I traveled around the world with two girlfriends last year, the three of us often relied on dumb luck and the kindness of strangers to get us from point A to B safely. And if we missed a bus or a flight was delayed? No harm, no foul--after all, we had 12 months to accomplish our globe-lapping mission, right?
But that ease-of-attitude drastically changes when you're planning an eight-day trip to Ecuador with a new boyfriend. My method for making sure everything went right was to carefully plan every detail so that nothing could possibly go wrong. Which, of course, was the fastest way to ensure that everything did.
As dominoes toppled, I struggled to maintain the new girlfriend illusion that I'm a fun, lighthearted traveler--and not a thoroughly seasoned, take-no-bullshit road warrior. In the end, all pretenses went to pot and bitchy won out. My top four travel snafus--and solutions for next time--after the jump.
MORE...
by The Lost Girl
2/04/2008 at 4:15 PM
Tags: It's Summer Somewhere, It's-Summer-Somewhere, Islands, National Parks (all tags)
As the snow falls in our 'hood, we're day dreaming of summer. Heading to the Galapagos in Ecuador, for the annual celebration of "Galapagos Days" is current obsession. Each island has its own parades and all out revelry the second week of February every year.
This month also brings lots of cool things to see there in the animal arena. Marine iguanas and flamingos begin to nest, and white-cheeked pintails start breeding. How would we see it all? Probably on a 7 day cruise on the M/S Alta, a three-masted schooner that has old-world charm and comes with all meals and your very own naturalist aboard for the trip.
True, lots of tourism to the islands has consequences, but if you do your trip right, you'll be able to enjoy the natural wonders without damaging 'em.
Related Stories:
· World's Best National Parks: Galapagos Islands [Jaunted]
· It's Summer Somewhere Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: angela7dreams]
by sedona
1/28/2008 at 4:00 PM
Tags: Galapagos Travel, Galapagos National Park, Green Travel, Environment, Islands, World Heritage Sites (all tags)
Meanwhile on the opposite side of the world...
We may think of it as one of the world's best, but the Galapagos National Park is in trouble. A boom in tourism to the islands--145,000 visitors dropped by in 2006 compared to 40,000 in 1990--is putting the delicate ecosystem at risk. That recently earned it a special spot on UNESCO's World Heritage list: as a site "in danger."
What does that mean? Non-native species are being introduced to the islands, big ships are detracting from the natural splendor and sport fishing is having an impact on wildlife below the water. And as more and more people come to the islands, there's a better chance that visitors will overwhelm the delicate balance that makes the islands special.
The president of the Galapagos Conservancy, which supports preservation projects in the islands, says her group isn't trying to discourage tourism but rather promote the area in a responsible way:
We have found that when tourists actually visit the Galapagos, they leave caring about it and wanting to support all conservation efforts.
Related Stories:
· Can Darwin's Lab Survive Success? [NYT]
· World's Best National Parks: Galapagos Islands [Jaunted]
· Green Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: The Lilac Breasted Roller]
by pbb
8/28/2007 at 9:40 AM
Tags: Backpackers, Budget Travel, South American Travel, Budget Travel Magazine, Jason Cohen (all tags)
We love a spot of spontaneous travel. You know the kind: grab a guidebook at the last minute, hop on a plane, then make all your travel decisions on the fly. Recently the crew at Budget Travel sent writer Jason Cohen on a bit of a mystery trip so he could log the pros and cons of this kind of spontaneous trip.
He and his wife Susan ended up in southern Ecuador: Guayaquil, to be precise. With no advance knowledge of the attractions, transport or accommodation in southern Ecuador, Jason and Susan stumbled around the country--spending a stack of time in buses--but still experiencing a bit of the real Ecuador.
They made sure not to miss the equator at the Museo de Sitio Inti-ñan, where there are basically trick sinks that show the water draining clockwise and counter-clockwise, depending on which hemisphere you stand in. If that's all they really got to see on their spontaneous trip, we'd still rate that as worth it.
Related Stories:
· We Have No Idea Where We're Going [Budget Travel]
· Hotels in Ecuador [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in Ecuador [Jaunted]
[Photo: T-Oh!&Matt]
by amandak
8/14/2007 at 9:37 AM
Tags: National-Parks-World-Map, Islands, Galapagos National Park (all tags)
Best National Parks in the World Map
Despite a few dissenters, most people now agree that Chuck Darwin was on to something when he first noticed variations in the mockingbirds and tortoises from different islands of the Galapagos archipelago.
Today, the Ecuadorian government, which controls Galapagos, has set aside 90 percent of the land for Galapagos National Park. More than 1.7 million acres comprise the natural reserve. Bizarre and beautiful indigenous animals run through the islands' lush fauna. The park service works with the Charles Darwin Research Station to conserve and protect the unique wildlife. This means strict restrictions on ships and a watchful eye on tourism.
Unfortunately, more ships than Darwin's Beagle sailed to the islands over the past several hundred years. As always, white sailors and settlers came bearing gifts: VD and feral animals. Today, the groups work to eradicate these animals, like fire ants, pigeons, and black rats. If they can come up to New York and clean up the East Village next, that would be great.
Related Stories:
·World's Best National Parks [Jaunted]
·Galapagos National Park [Official Site]
[Photo: Copland]
by ced138
2/19/2007 at 8:36 AM
Tags: Amazing-Race-11, Television Travel, Chasing Racers, Amazing-Race-All-Stars (all tags)
Click Here To Go Straight To Chasing Racers Map
Chasing Racers is back, with a brand new Amazing Race All Stars mashup. This map will update the morning after every new episode. Send along tips, rumors, gossip, locations and spoilers to our map editors, become a member and comment on the stories below, and add to the Jaunted-Flickr photo pool to get in on the fray.
Remember to zoom in, out, and around on the map - with so much happening in each episode, it's easy to miss a map point.
Ah, Miami Beach. Phil's hair is super blown out and he's looking great at the Charles Deering Estate. The teams come powering in on go-fast boats that are, Ian says, "like Miami Vice." Kevin and Drew claim they're older and rounder. Rob and Kim claim to have a "whole new bag of tricks." DuKa says "This time the teams are out for blood." Dave and Mary are psyched about proving to viewers they can win without the help of the six-pack alliance, but their real challenge will be getting passed their constant reality starf***ing. Oh and Eric has nipple rings! All the juicy details, after the jump.
MORE...
by pbb
